In April of this year, a white elk was found in the Qilihai Wetlands, Tianjin, which has raised public awareness.
The white elk found in the Qilihai Wetlands, Tianjin [Photo/ninghe.exploringtianjin.com]
The skin of this elk is white, making him very eye-catching among other elks.
After identification by animal protection experts, the white elk has been confirmed as a male and is an extremely rare albino gene. In the nature reserve, he sometimes jumps into the water to play, and joins his companions as they look for food and enjoy themselves in their habitat.
The white elk found in the Qilihai Wetlands, Tianjin [Photo/ninghe.exploringtianjin.com]
In 2011, in order to promote the species recovery, Ninghe district introduced 10 elk from Beijing, and built a breeding base with special personnel to safeguard the population.
In recent years, Tianjin has actively promoted the protection and restoration of the Qilihai Wetlands, and the ecological environment has been significantly improved. With the continuous expansion of the population size, elk have gradually been reintroduced to nature, and the number has increased from 10 to about 25 at present.
The appearance of the white elk will provide important data references for future research on the survival and reproduction of elk in the wild. At the same time, Ninghe will continue to carry out environmental protection, daily patrols, and information observation and collection work in the wetlands under the guidance of scientific research experts.